The SOMM Journal

December 2014/January 2015

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32 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014/2015
{
the gatekeepers
}
THE RUN-AWAY SUCCESS OF THE WINE
program at luxury Silicon Valley retreat
Rosewood Sand Hill and its Madera res
-
taurant was never anticipated. But with
$4 million in sales annually between the
130-seat restaurant and 121-room hotel,
a closer look at the best practices of
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Director of
Wine Paul Mekis is warranted.
As director of wine for one of the three
luxury hotels brands under the umbrella
of Hong Kong–based Rosewood Hotel
Group, Mekis oversees the wine programs
for 14 of the company's ever-expanding
portfolio of 19 properties. By 2018, the
hotel group, which opened a five-star
property in Beijing in October, will have
30 resorts, including the Hotel Crillon in
Paris and Dubai next year.
When he took the helm at Sand Hill
in 2009, Mekis was underwhelmed by
the space allocated for the restaurant's
cellar. In quick order he upgraded the
original cellar, which now solely houses
white wines, and promptly converted a
large banquet storage room for the reds.
Combined, they house upwards of 18,000
bottles that are managed by Mekis and his
staff using BinWise software.
With a team of four sommeliers and
the hotel's food service staff, Mekis has
developed what is, by all standards, a liq
-
uid jewel in the crown of the luxury chain's
celebrated properties, which include The
Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas,
the Carlyle in New York and Las Ventanas
in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Anecdotal evidence—and the program's
bottom line—support the belief that Mekis
has created the industry's single most
profitable wine program for a property of
its size.
By tucking Domaine Drouhin Laurene
and splits of Billecart-Salmon Rosé
Champagne into the hotel's mini bars and
offering highly-allocated wines including
Kathryn Kennedy Estate, Nickel & Nickel,
Turley, J.-L. Chave and Vietti by the glass,
the success of Mekis's program has hinged
on being in the right place with the right
wine. "There's no question that our audi
-
ence is wine savvy," he said, "they're well-
traveled, well-read and they're definitely
well-versed in wine."
The 16-acre California ranch–style
property sits camouflaged among the
gently rolling hills on the outskirts of Palo
Alto and, on weekdays, draws a global
business clientele from companies call
-
ing on nearby venture capital firms or
visiting neighboring Stanford University.
Weekends are the purview of locals, who
make the restaurant terrace and bar an
escape from urban chaos.
When asked if savvy customers present
a challenge particularly when it comes to
upselling or bridging a table to an unfamil
-
iar wine, Mekis reflects, "We see a direct
correlation between educating our staff
and wine sales. The more we know, the
better we can serve an informed clien
-
tele." He points to a higher level of expec-
tation from his clientele around service,
navigating vintages and recommending
food pairings.
Wood-fired cuisine at Madera gives the
restaurant its name (which is Spanish for
"wood"), and Mekis builds his list around
the smoky, earthy, umami-driven flavors
of Executive Chef Peter Rudolph's cui
-
sine. Pinot Noir tops the charts as the
best-selling red at Madera; the list boasts
420 on any given day, and Mekis looks
to Syrah, Tempranillo and Sangiovese for
their affinities as well. "Wine style drives
the selection, and I'm not losing sight of
winemakers who have always made bal
-
anced wines." Mekis likes to keep close
tabs on his producers and eschews dra-
matic shifts in style. "We're tasting every
vintage and making decisions based on
what's in the glass; it's all about what's in
the glass."
Having built his career locally, Mekis
has worked with legends like Master
Sommeliers Nunzio Alioto, Ronn Wigant,
Mike Bonacorsi and Reggie Narito. Prior
to Rosewood, he directed the wine pro
-
gram at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga,
CA for a decade. As he walks through the
hotel's restaurant bar on a weekday after
-
noon, he greets regulars—customers he's
known for years who have undoubtedly
followed him to Rosewood Sand Hill—with
genuine pleasure—the kind that comes
from knowing your life's work is making
people happy.
A Jewel in the Crown
THE WINE PROGRAM AT ROSEWOOD SAND HILL AND MADERA
RESTAURANT SETS THE PACE FOR THIS LUXURY HOTEL GROUP
story and photo Deborah Parker Wong
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Director of Wine
Paul Mekis developed a wine program that
hinged on being in the right place with the
right wine.